Nuggets take advantage of rare chance to scout opponent live

OKLAHOMA CITY – Because of the wacky schedule in this crammed, post-lockout season, some teams have home back-to-backs, seldom seen in a normal season. So, last night the Thunder hosted the Kings here in OKC. Nuggets coach George Karl sat in the stands and did a little visual scouting.

“I enjoy going there and I observe things that I can’t observe on film,” said Karl, whose team play the Thunder tonight. “I observe the bench, the player interactions and referring. I think it’s actually more fun to go to a game and scout it. In person, you can feel if a team has a unity and trust in each other, more than you can on film.”

The Nuggets are trying to avoid OKC in the playoffs by beating OKC tonight. If Denver wins tonight and Thursday at Minnesota, Denver is No. 6 (and will likely play the Lakers). But if Denver loses – and Dallas wins at Atlanta on Thursday – then the Nuggets will be seventh and play the Thunder.

The Thunder, meanwhile, has No. 2 locked up.

“One thing we’re confuesd by is – how are they going to play their rotation?” Karl said. “They were obviously playing their bench longer (against Sacramento) and they didn’t finish with their first unit. Nobody knows what they’re going to do. The whole last two weeks, we’re all trying to figure out what people are thinking and who they’re going to play – and it’s somewhat confusing.

“I’m happy to be where we’re at. Our team is anxious and angry a little bit at how Oklahoma City has moved up the latter and handled us pretty well in the last couple years. I have a feeling my team is going to play pretty well today.”

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Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.